Brockport looking into cutting police shift

When it comes to budgeting in the Village of Brockport, its police chief questions why the cuts are aimed at his department. At a recent budget meeting in the village, Trustee Morton Wexler put forth an idea to eliminate one of the Brockport Police Department's daytime shifts. It is a move that has drawn opposition from the mayor and the police chief, but one that the village treasurer will be looking into.

Police Chief Dan Varrenti said that in the 2003-04 village budget the police department consumed 24.5 percent of the total funds expended. "Why, if we are only using 24.5 percent of the budget, are we continually held 100 percent accountable for the deficiencies that occur within the budget? A multitude of small financial sins that are routinely created could contribute more to a budget deficiency than may be happening in our department," he said.

Because he is concerned with a possible 12 percent increase in village spending in the upcoming budget, Wexler has asked for a study outlining possible cost savings if the police department's 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift were eliminated. "Discussions were held to find ways to reduce costs and basically there were two areas where any significant dollars could come from and they were the police and the department of public works," Wexler explained. "The DPW is understaffed right now and the area we are looking to cut dollars is in the police department."

Wexler said there is a difference of opinion on how many people are needed to staff each police department shift. "We're looking to see if there could be any modifications in the contract," he said. The present police department contract calls for two full time police officers per shift.

While Varrenti agrees that police department overtime is an issue but he said the money spent on overtime could have been significantly reduced had the board allowed him to hire two new full time officers he requested two years ago.

In 1991, Varrenti said, village officials cut the police department staff by 29 percent. They eventually reinstated 25 percent of the officers but today, the department is still running with three less officers than they had in 1991. "The board continues to waste money by not having us fully staffed," he said. "This understaffing ultimately harms the taxpayer and that is where I have a big problem."

As part of Wexler's proposal to investigate eliminating a police department shift, he said law enforcement services could be provided for the village by the Monroe County Sheriff's department. "Every municipality in Monroe County pays to have the Sheriff's department; maybe we need to look at utilizing their services," he said.

While nothing is set in stone and budget processes are still underway, Wexler said that since the board is working on its preliminary figures it would be good to have all the options in their hands when it comes to eliminating costs. "We need to explore all of our options and see just how much would be saved," he said. "We need to have the figures in our hands that will tell us how much will be saved if we eliminate a shift. We just want to have all the information at our fingertips."

Varrenti said the trustees who support looking into eliminating a shift are doing "unconscionable things and causing harm to public safety."

The village needs to solve the problem of fiscal irresponsibility, Varrenti said. "This village's fiscal crisis is not something that my department caused nor is it something that the residents should suffer because of," he said. "The trustees who are raising these issues have never come to me and sat down and discussed what could be done to better manage our portion of the budget funds."

Mayor Josephine Matela said it is totally irresponsible to think of eliminating a police shift. "The potential social and criminal implications brought about by eliminating a shift would not be offset by any monetary gains," she said. "This is a short-sighted solution. How can we not afford to have our police department?"

Varrenti said his officers are out there 24/7 providing a needed service to the residents in what is sometimes a thankless task. "My officers didn't create this fiscal dilemma but the board's inability to maintain proper fiscal controls somehow comes back to my department."

The report on the potential cost savings associated with the elimination of the shift is expected to be back within 10 days. The village's completed budget is supposed to be voted on in mid-April, Wexler said.